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How does light stop hair growth?
For many men and women, unwanted hair can be a nightmare. Until recently, the options available were limited to hair removal creams or lotions, shaving or plucking, frequent waxing, or electrolysis, which treats hair individually. For those not adequately treated by these methods, there were few options. Due to exciting developments in the field of light technology, laser hair removal offers an additional alternative, which is ideally suited to treating very large areas (arms, legs, backs) as well as smaller areas.
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There has been a recent explosive growth in companies offering hair removal lasers and light systems. These instruments deliver pulses of red or infrared laser light, which is attracted to the melanin pigment within the hair shaft. The light is on long enough to heat the hair shaft, but not long enough for the heat to spread to the surrounding skin and cause damage. This is the principle used by most modern lasers that treat skin. This process is called "selective photothermolysis", which is just a long word meaning that light is absorbed by the target (in this case unwanted hair) instead of the surrounding skin. The light targets the melanin pigment within the hair shaft and either signals the hair follicle to go into a prolonged resting stage or destroys the follicle. Follicles in the resting phase do not contain a visible terminal hair, only a small vellous hair that cannot be seen. Hair normally cycles between active growing (anagen) hair, and resting (vellous) hair. When follicles cycle to the resting phase, the follicle shortens and the visible terminal hair falls out. The terminal hair is replaced by tiny vellous hair. This cycling of hair explains the ability of the hair all over our body to continually grow, without our eyebrows or arm hair growing to lengths which would make daily life difficult. Imagine trying to drive a car with your eyebrows covering your eyes and face. The light only "sees" actively growing, pigmented terminal hair. Thus any hair in the resting phase when the photoepilation treatment is administered will not be adequately treated. Since some hair follicles may enter their growth cycle after your treatment, multiple treatments may be required to deliver optimal results.
How many treatments are necessary?
Generally, 3 to 5 treatments are required, six weeks apart. After a series of treatments, most people will enjoy a period where there is no hair at all. Subsequently, less hair than was initially present returns, and the hair that remains is finer and lighter. A number of treatments following the initial three will usually be necessary to maintain a completely hair-free appearance. But for a reduction in hair density and thickness, the three treatments may suffice for a very long time.
What kind of hair does the system work best for?
Laser and light treatment works best on dark hair, and poorly on white hair. Popular treatment areas for women include bikini lines, facial hair on the chin and upper lip, forearms, underarms, and legs. Women who are accustomed to shaving or plucking hair every day enjoy dramatic improvements. Men often want to get rid of back, chest, stomach, and neck hair. As light and laser systems become faster and more advanced, more people will use this technology as a substitute for shaving both small and large areas such as the women’s legs and the men’s backs.
Is the procedure safe for dark skinned people?
The light beam is attracted to the pigment (color) within the hair. In most patients, it is possible to selectively treat hair follicle because the hair pigment, usually brown or black, is darker than the surrounding skin. This contrast attracts the laser beam to the pigment in the unwanted hair and not to the lighter pigment in the overlying skin. This treatment results in the elimination of unwanted hair temporarily and sometimes even permanently. Our latest technology allows us to perform hair removal in most skin types- even people with dark skin.
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